A little rusty
by hurryupdanger
Summary: Despite of it all, when she should be at least angry about him hiding Hope from her, when she should slap the shit out of him because he slept with Hayley-the-werebitch, when she should be upset at the universe that had led her to loose so many people she loved, Caroline Forbes has once again proved him wrong.


After Caroline turns her humanity back on, she decides to leave Mystic Falls to see the world on her own, to mend her heart and then maybe she'll return to Mystic Falls when she's ready to see her mother's grave. But before she travels out of the country (bringing only a few valuable things with her), she decides to visit New Orleans.

Caroline then arrives at NOLA, goes sightseeing and visits the French Quarter. She hears whispers about the Hybrid King at war to protect his daughter with (Hayley Marshall, werewolf turned hybrid) from those who want to hurt her. It came as a surprise but then again Caroline tries to sink those feelings down (because it was her who pushed him away). She makes up her mind and decides to drop by his place.

They meet at his porch, where he just arrived from tucking Hope in for a nap up at her nursery. Having sense another presence in the house, he is surprised to see his source of light standing on his porch with something behind her. She smiles and explains that she just came by to see him and say goodbye.

"I guess you heard about my mother." Caroline said, her smile small.

"Yes, love. My condolences." Klaus replied, trying his best not to reach out touch her shoulder.

Caroline doesn't reply. Instead she steps aside to reveal a small present.

"I heard about your daughter." She explains as she slowly pushes it in front of him giving them such small space in between.

"Don't think much about it. I just want to give this to her as a gift. I hope she likes pink." Caroline said before he could refuse, looking up at him with a real smile.

Despite of it all, when she should be at least angry about him hiding Hope from her, when she should slap the shit out of him because he slept with Hayley-the-werebitch, when she should be upset at the universe that had led her to loose so many people she loved, Caroline Forbes has once again proved him wrong.

With this little pink bicycle. with its pink frilly things at the side of its handle, a little rusty, a little old but obviously full off love, she had proved to him, shown him that her light, no matter how dark the world is, will always push through.

"She's probably too small for this and you probably could get her a better one when she needs it but…" Caroline oh so lovingly, rambles on.

"It's perfect, love. Thank you. Hope will surely love this." Klaus interjects, so sure that his daughter will love this gift as much as he did.

Caroline gives him a smile, a smile that finally reaches her eyes. She leans in and gives him a kiss on the cheek. He leans into her, his eyes closed, relishing the feeling for he knows that they would not see each other again in a long time.

"See you soon, Klaus." She said and when he opened his eyes, she had gone.

.

Stefan arrives at his porch a day later, looking for Caroline. Klaus replies that she only came to say goodbye and goes back to greasing the rust out of the pink bike.

"Hey, that's Caroline's." Stefan points at the bike. Klaus looks up again at his old friend.

"Yes, it was a gift for my daughter. It's quite old; she may have bought it..."

"No, she didn't buy it. It was hers; she learned how to ride a bike in that." Stefan interrupts him and then goes on to share about her mother's death, Liz's last memory (he opens his mind to Stefan who shows Klaus his memory of watching it) and all the things that had happened after.

Klaus listened, his heart swelling with warm emotions. This bike meant something to her; it was a treasure she shared with her mother, a treasure that she now shared with Hope.

Stefan leaves after tea time for Mystic Falls, realizing that Caroline needed to see the world alone. He and Klaus shake hands before he takes off in his brother's car.

Later that night, he moves the bike into his studio where it would be kept when the time comes for Hope to learn to ride it. He picks up a paintbrush and starts painting, a small pink bike with a little blonde girl riding it.

—-


End file.
